Episodes

Josh answers questions from Weldon Pless, creative director at Gold Front, about all things category creation. Was there anxiety when remaking Gold Front as a category design studio? How has going through the category design process yourself helped you connect with clients? Are mixed drinks in a can a new category? Should category designers consider the power they have to create new categories in the world. Have you ever passed on a project because the product could have negative consequenc...

Josh answers listener questions about category creation. What should we do if our executive team is not aligned? How do you define brand voice? Why do so many B2B brands suck? What's the relationship between category POV and demand gen? Submit questions and subscribe to our newsletter here: categoryfirst.substack.com

Josh answers listener questions about category creation. What's the business case for investing in brand? Do you have any adice for aspiring copywriters? How and when should pre-seed startups should be thinking about category creation. Submit questions and subscribe to our newsletter here: categoryfirst.substack.com

Josh talks to Dave Grow, CEO of Lucid, the makers of Lucid Chart, Lucid Spark, and Lucid Scale. Dave stepped into the role of CEO after building a number of different departments at Lucid and helping the company create the category visual collaboration suite. He and Josh talk about: The state of the visual collaboration market before Lucid. Launching new products after establishing category leadership. Proving ease of use to customers. Stepping into the role of CEO after helping the company...

Josh answers listener questions about category creation. What's the difference between doing workshops in-person vs. on Zoom? If our company already gained product-market fit, do we need to bother creating a category? How does brand design differ for category creators? Do you need to validate your new category with customers before launch? Submit questions and subscribe to our newsletter here: categoryfirst.substack.com

Josh answers listener questions about category creation. Is category creation just a marketing fad? What's the criteria for a good cateogry name? Can we be successful if analysts keep putting us in the wrong category? categoryfirst.substack.com

Josh answers listener questions about category creation. What's your favorite kind of CEO to work with? Would you ever reccomend a company not do category design? Is brand design and advertising different for category creators? Submit questions and subscribe to our newsletter here: categoryfirst.substack.com

Josh talks to Michael Jeter, creative director at Zapier. Michael shares his process for leading Zapier through a major strategic and visual redesign. Some highlights: The one thing every business person must know about brand design. Michael’s process for curating a creative brief that leads to better work. The evolution of design in tech. Creating brands that business people and creatives both dig. Redesigning Zapier’s brand in, amazingly, 3 weeks. Subscribe to our newsletter here: categ...

Josh answers listener questions about category creation. How do you measure the success of a category launch? What's the relationship between a campaign line and a category name? Is a category launch more effective when paired with a rebrand? Submit questions and subscribe to our newsletter here: categoryfirst.substack.com

Josh answers listener questions about category creation. What’s the difference between category design and brand design? Why do startups undergo category design shortly before their IPO? Our category launch didn’t have the impact we hoped for. And our CEO doesn’t understand their new category. Where do we go from here? Submit questions and subscribe to our newsletter here: categoryfirst.substack.com

Josh talks to Sheena Badani, head of product and customer marketing at Gong. Sheena led Gong’s category design effort resulting in the category Revenue Intelligence. She and Josh talk about: What is it like designing a category for the first time? How do you craft a visionary story and get executives and everybody on board? Were there people saying you were making the wrong move? What is it like the week of launching a new category? Advice for aspiring category designers. Submit questions...

In this episode… Josh speaks with Perimeter 81 co-founder and Chief Growth Officer Sagi Gidali about their recent category launch. Sagi talks about how his company’s recent category launch went down, the power of getting his entire company aligned around a single strategic narrative, and where they are today, six months post-launch. Why create a new category? While Perimeter 81 knew they had a special product, it was hard to articulate what differentiated them from the competition. After spe...

In this episode… We dive into the most important moment in the life of your category: Launch Day. If you follow our five lessons, you will be miles ahead of most category launches. You may also find something else happens. Something remarkable: Your whole company working together in a way they haven't before. Here’s a quote from Josh: “Category Launch unites your people around a powerful origin story. It plants an unbelievable truth at the heart of your business.” What Are The Five Category L...

In this episode… We map out the category launch journey, and the steps companies must take using a clear process. Today, we’re focusing on the Category Launch Framework.. Here's a quote from Josh: “You need a process for setting, socializing and living by your category goals—and making this process actionable and measurable." What is the Category Launch Framework? The Category Launch Framework is built around two components: Areas of Work: Category design is a whole company effort, but it help...

In this episode… Anna Furmanov of Modern Startup Marketing interviews Josh about the secrets of category creation—what he calls the Alchemy of Category Design. What is Category Design? We start by talking about what exactly is category design, and talk about the three superpowers of category design that make it uniquely suited to help startups. What are Category Design’s biggest hurdles? We rebut the perception category creation is too hard an endeavor for startups, and discuss how Gold Fro...

In this episode… Josh chats with Bizzabo co-founder Alon Alroy about their category creation journey. Last year, Bizzabo pulled the rip cord on their existing category, event management software, and jumped into a new category of their own invention. Why create a new category? Bizzabo was stuck in what we call “The Better” archetype—drowning in a crowded category and differentiating itself only with “better” features than its many competitors. That’s a great time to create a new category, and a...

In this episode... We unpack the rest of our list of The Six Category Create Archetypes. And this time it’s through a lens you might not expect. We already covered The Inventor, The Overlooked, and the Second Act. Now we dive into The Emergent, The Better, and The Huckster. Why Are Category Archetypes Important? Because archetype determines strategy which in turn determines success. Once you know your archetype the path forward becomes clear and things start to flow. What Happens if You Fail ...

In this episode… We discuss potential strategies for category creation, the purpose of defining a strategy, and the Six Category Creator Archetypes. We’ll specifically focus on the first three archetypes in Part 1. A quote from Josh: “Customers make sense of your offering not just by what you do, but also by what you don’t. To be all things is to be nothing.” Why Define a Category Strategy New markets are constantly changing. Competition is fierce. Because of all this, opportunities for categor...

In this episode… We uncover the what, why and how of category creation. Today, we’re focusing on the strategic narrative, also known as a Category POV. Here's a quote from Josh: “A great strategic narrative opens up closed minds, helps align executives around the work of category creation, and speeds time to market.” What is a Strategic Narrative? A strategic narrative is like a brand manifesto with more substance. It is often the result of months of work. It’s an argument for why the world nee...

In this episode… In this episode, we’ll discuss the fundamentals of category design, including what it is, how it works, and what makes it truly different. Here’s a quote from Josh: “...If you want to build a company of uncommon value, your product must be categorically, not incrementally, new. That’s the definition of a big idea.” What Is Category Design and How Does It Work? Category design is the purposeful transformation of the entirety of a company’s activities around a single goal: to de...

In this episode… In this episode, we’ll uncover the essential steps you should take as a startup’s new CMO to successfully define your category, from setting your goals to launch day. We call it a short list for ass-kicking CMOs. Here's a quote from Josh: “It’s going to take herculean focus to drive the outcomes you’re looking for. That’s where the Very Short List for Ass-Kicking CMOs comes in. Print it out and put it on your desk where you’ll always see it. It’s not just a list, it’s a constan...

Category First is a podcast by Josh Lowman, Founder of Gold Front, the world's first and only category design studio. Here's why you should listen.

In this episode… We're launching a podcast, newsletter, and blog for category creators. Find out why we're going all in on category design, and why we created Category First. Here's a quote from Josh: “Founders are taught that category creation is too hard to do. It’s crazy to me because every founder I know dreams of doing something big." Why Become a Category Creator? You'll capture more of the profits of your category You'll be the category leader on Day 1 You'll define how the category wo...